Ending a month-to-month tenancy in Rhode Island

The rule in Rhode Island

To end a month-to-month tenancy in Rhode Island, the notice period is 30 days, set by R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37(b). The words: “The landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy or any periodic tenancy for more than a month or less than a year by a written notice, … delivered to the other at least thirty (30) days before the date specified in the notice.” The same period binds the tenant: the statute gives landlord and tenant one rule.

Of the 29 states verified on this site, 3 require less notice and 4 require more, counting a month as 30 days for comparison; the median is 30 days. 21 others land on the same length, among them Arizona, Florida, Idaho and Illinois.

Worked date: a notice delivered on November 10, 2026 runs its 30 days on December 10, 2026, so the notice can name December 10, 2026 or a later date as the end of the tenancy, 30 days after delivery.

Given on the rent day itself, December 1, 2026, the same notice reaches its end on December 31, 2026, 30 days later. A period stated in days is the same length in every month.

Across the border, among neighbours with a verified rule: Massachusetts requires one month.

For a tenancy paid by the week, the same statute sets 10 days, 33% of the monthly figure.

The notice is to be in a form substantially similar to the one in § 34-18-56(c).

After the notice: the landlord then has 20 days to return the security deposit (deposit rules), so a tenancy ending on December 10, 2026 puts the deposit deadline at December 30, 2026.

Source: Rhode Island General Assembly, R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37 · last checked October 21, 2026.

Giving or receiving notice

The statute sets the shortest period; a lease can add conditions such as a written form or a delivery method, and some cities add their own rules. The guide on ending a month-to-month tenancy compares how the verified states count the period.